CEO INTERVIEW: From Freezing Refugee to Billionaire: Sudhir Ruparelia Reveals His Brutal Three Odd Jobs in London Exile

In a candid interview, Uganda’s richest man Sudhir Ruparelia has opened up about his tough early days as a refugee in London following Idi Amin’s 1972 expulsion of Asians from Uganda.

Ruparelia arrived in England on 5 November 1972 as one of the last to leave. Landing at 3 a.m. in freezing November weather with no sweater, he was taken to a refugee camp at the RAF Greenham Common base.

“We reached England at three o’clock in the morning in November. It was cold. I didn’t even have a sweater on,” he recalled.

Unwilling to stay long in the camp, the young Sudhir quickly took on multiple jobs to support himself. He worked three odd jobs during the day — filling supermarket shelves, handling tasks in a butchery, and occasionally working in a bakery — while also taking a night shift from Monday to Thursday.

Despite the demanding schedule, he attended school and completed his O-Levels and A-Levels.

“I didn’t want to stay in the camp. I had three jobs,” Ruparelia told CEO East Africa journalist Muhereza Kyamutetera in an exclusive interview.

Before the expulsion, Sudhir had never worked for a living. His family ran a busy canteen and shop in Kabatoro, Kasese town, where he helped pack bulk goods like sugar and flour. His father left in the first wave of the exodus, followed later by his mother, brother, and sisters. He stayed until the final day, departing with a Ugandan passport granted by birthright.

From those humble and difficult beginnings in cold London, Sudhir Ruparelia rose to build one of East Africa’s largest business empires spanning banking, real estate, education, hospitality, and telecommunications.

His story remains a powerful testament to resilience, hard work, and determination in the face of sudden exile. Sudhir remains the most dominant business face of Uganda’s services sector, with an inspirational story for generations to come.

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Based on Sudhir Ruparelia’s recent interview.

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